In 1974, Raquel Welch turned down a historic movie role. Months later, another actor won an Oscar for it

Raquel Welch later said she regretted turning down a role in Martin Scorsese’s *Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore*, a family drama about a woman raising her son alone. The part went to Ellen Burstyn, whose performance won the Academy Award for Best Actress, making the missed opportunity a notable turning point in Welch’s career.

Welch had earned a Golden Globe for playing Constance Bonacieux in *The Three Musketeers* (1973), but she said she failed to recognise that Scorsese’s film offered the kind of role she was seeking. Released after Scorsese’s *Mean Streets*, the film featured Diane Ladd, Jodie Foster and Kris Kristofferson, and reflected the intimate character dramas of the New Hollywood era. The article says it is unknown whether Welch would have taken the role in the same direction or won the Oscar.